(In)Frequently Asked Questions

Who came up with the idea of Reality Bomb?

As we discovered in an interview with DWM’s Graham Kibble-White, both Graeme Burk and emeritus producer Alex Kennard remember it differently and both of them remember having the idea. Then again, both of them had been drinking. So both came upon the idea. The name, though, was Graeme’s idea. He’d been waiting to use that for a Doctor Who podcast since he first heard it in Journey’s End. Thank you, Russell T Davies…

Who did the Reality Bomb theme music?

Alex wrote and performed what is still titled “Secret Podcast Theme” (because at the time he wrote it, Reality Bomb was a secret podcast Graeme and Alex were working on and they hadn’t told anyone in fandom they were doing it). Alex wrote all the interstitial music (the music between segments) as well.

Who writes your comedy sketches?

Almost all of them are written by Graeme. As a Canadian he is obligated to say that he’s sorry for that. He also has a lot of help from a lot of talented people performing and producing them.

What’s the deal with your live shows?

One of us (the one with the radio voice) remembers fondly when CBC radio series would do live episodes and enjoys it as a listener when podcasts and radio shows get out of the studio. Plus, we have a hell of a lot of talented people doing Reality Bomb and it’s fun to have them all in the same room doing the show.

How long does it take to make an episode of Reality Bomb?

It depends on a lot of factors, but between writing material, arranging interviews, interviewing, editing (which we usually do twice), mixing, putting it up, it’s between 30 and 40 hours a month. Documentaries and technically demanding comedy sketches push that number up higher.

What’s the most important lesson you learned from Reality Bomb?

For Graeme, it was the realization that saying “But I don’t know anyone who’s a woman or a person of colour who’s an expert in this particular area of Doctor Who” is the worst, lamest possible excuse. They’re out there. All you have to do is find them. Even knowing that, and trying to act on it, we could do a lot better.

What’s the “No Podcasters” rule?

It’s pretty simple: We won’t have anyone on an interview segment who is doing another Doctor Who podcast. There are exceptions: we have people from other podcasts on for sketches, documentaries and live shows. (And twice we’ve waived the rule). But we feel that Reality Bomb should be a place for fan voices who don’t get to be heard otherwise.

Can I be on Gallery of the Underrated?

Gallery of the Underrated has become our signature segment and consequently we have a lot of requests to be on it and between those requests and those people we are actively soliciting, all the spots are filled for the foreseeable future (let’s put it this way: the only segment we use a spreadsheet to track contributors for is Gallery!) But you never know.

Why is [x] story on Gallery of the Underrated?

The rubric we say at the start of every segement is that Gallery features stories that are “overlooked, ignored or generally derided”. So it may be a very good story, even somewhat popular, but compared to other Doctor Who stories it’s overlooked or not talked about much. Let’s be flexible!

What guest made Graeme the most nervous?

It’s safe to say that as big as a Doctor Who nerd Graeme is, he’s an even bigger radio nerd. Anytime a contributor to an NPR or BBC radio program or podcast comes on for the first time, there’s a large chance Graeme spent the three minutes before the segment was recorded hyperventilating into a paper bag.